Keystone 2006
February 16-20, 2006
Adventure Leader: Jeff Goertz

Back Row: Matt, Anthony, Nick, Jeff Kesner, Kenneth White, Zach, Ian
Front Row: Kelly Starner, Colin, Tarik, Jeff Goertz, Jeremy
Horizontal: Jarrett and Cody

10 scouts and 6 scouters traveled to Keystone, Colorado for their "Presidential Tour" and three days of skiing. More photos of the boys will be forthcoming when there film is developed and the videos are given to the webmaster

Scouts, scouters, and parents with separation anxiety.

After an all day drive Thursday with stops for breakfast and lunch, the crew checked into a Motel 6 in Denver. Supper was then enjoyed at Casa Bonitas. What could be better after an 11 hour drive than to have "all you can eat" Mexican food? While the adults enjoyed the entertainment of cliff divers and Mariachi bands, the boys preferred the video arcade. 

We rose early on Friday to drive to Keystone, rent our equipment, and hit the slopes. Scouts and scouters split into groups with everyone having at least one "ski buddy" and we covered the mountains of Keystone.  We explored our two large condos and, after lasagna, hit the hot tub, the pool, and then, our beds.

Jeremy's skiing skills were great and he skied with the leaders for two days before dumping them to ski with the high speed Anthony.

DAY TWO saw pizzas at the condo for lunch, and for supper, some great meat provided by Mr. Starner along with fixins' sent by Mr. Yameen.  Again, we hit the sack pretty early.

Mr. Kesner shows his good side while Tarik, Kenneth and Jeremy look on.	Jeremy shows Mr. Goertz how it's done	Zach and Ian take a TV break	The scouts are drinking from wine glasses while Kenneth, the leader, is drinking milk
Jeff, Kelly and Jeff	Tarik Yameen, Kelly Starner, Jeff Goertz, Kenneth White and Jeff Kesner	Mr. Goertz	Kelly Starner
Kelly Starner	Jeff Kesner	Jeff Kesner

Mr. Goertz' original ski equipment

Mr. Goertz went trapping after day one

Jeremy and Anthony in the condo There were two scouts who didn't shower until the night before our departure. I won't say who they were. They claimed the hot tub killed any germs.

Anthony climbs the balcony to the condo

DAY THREE was an adventure for all. Since it was the last day, everyone pushed themselves to the limits and learned the value of wearing helmets. Mr. Kesner and young Matt Dillman both got up close and personal with trees. 

After a group photo with an overcast sky at the top of the mountain, Tarik and five of the leaders decided to explore the back bowls of Keystone.  Mr. Kesner convinced us it would be a good idea to hike from the top of Keystone mountain over the summit and ski down the other side. When we looked over the crest and realized there were no other skiers on the bowl conventional wisdom would have been to turn back. We had no chance to make that decision when Kenneth White disappeared over the crest with a howl of enthusiasm. Dr. Fish followed to pick up the pieces and Tarik, Mr. Goertz and Mr. Starner soon followed. We'd like to say Mr. Kesner skied after them but rolling down the entire cliff face on your side, butt and back don't really qualify as skiing. He recovered his dignity and the leaders headed through the powder into the trees for another adventure.  Not long after entering the forest, Mr. Kesner entered a group of evergreens from which he did not emerge until Kenneth entered to pull him out. He then pulled out his skis and then his poles. Left behind was his pride.

After the six emerged from the forest and landed on a skiable trail, Tarik led Mr. Goertz and Kenneth into another group of trees. What the didn't see was the following sign.  They then spent the next two days lost in the woods with only 3 pieces of beef jerky to survive on. At least that it the story Tarik relates in his video of their saga.  They all decided they would attack the bowl again in the late afternoon but the lift had already closed.  One of the scouts accused them of leaving for second adventure when they KNEW the lift was already closed. Scouts have no respect.

"Hey, you leaders look so fresh, I think it's time for a hike to the outer limits!"
Goertz, Kesner and Starner struggling at the start of the hike to the bowls	At the mid-point of our hike to the back bowls of Keystone Kelly Starner, Jeff Kesner, Tarik Yameen, Kenneth White and Jeff Goertz		Kenneth is the first to brave the slope		Kelly followed by Jeff Kesner as we complete our hike up to the South Bowl
Mr. Goertz starts down the slope while Kelly and Jeff look for a safer spot to start from			Mr. Goertz completes his journey down
Kelly starts down the steep and slope	Mr. Kesner standing at the top of the precipice and shortly thereafter, he's on the ground				Kelly Starner attempts to stand up while Mr. Kesner stays seated
	Kesner slides while Starner skis				Mr. Kesner is all alone on the South Bowl
Kelly completes the trip down with Jeff Kesner in the background during his one upright moment	Kelly and Jeff Kesner survive the trip down the South Bowl				Kenneth and Jeff
Kelly, Kenneth, Tarik, Jeff and Jeff		Tarik takes a break		Just before Mr. Kesner eats tree needles
Kenneth White is on the left and eventually pulls Mr. Kesner from this cluster of trees.
Tarik videotapes while he skis Get a helmet cam, Tarik!	Mr. Starner loves those trees		Last photo of Tarik, Mr. Goertz and Kenneth before they leave the Keystone boundaries		Jeff and Kelly await the return of Goertz, Tarik and Kenneth from the hinterlands
The sign not seen by the three amigos before they left Keystone's Boundaries

Lunch on day three consisted of hot dogs and pizza at the condo.

Some other trip highlights:

Two leaders including the scoutmaster had mild cases of altitude sickness but they received good medical advice from the trek physician... "Suck it up!"

One of the medical personnel on the trip convinced the scouts it was good for their health to roll around in the snow in their swim suits in zero degree temperatures and then jump into the hot tub. Nick Fuston videotaped this adventure so return to this page in the near future for his feature presentation. Colin, Nick, Matt and Cody have a new appreciation for extremes in temperatures.

Jarrett Muck made use of his excellent Liberty education by befriending a German couple on the lift. His German I came in handy.

Anthony Stasiak bet the group he could eat an entire bowl of frozen coleslaw but he managed only one bite. Anthony was also an industrious scout when he climbed onto the balcony of the condo unit when he was locked out of the complex. Dr. Fish was startled when someone knocked on the glass sliders. Fortunately, we were only on the 8th floor of the building.

Cody, Jarrett, Nick, Colin and Matt asked if they could make a short trip to the Mountain House for souvenirs and Dr. Fish learned a lesson when he didn't set a return time. These scouts decided a short shuttle trip over to another area of the Mountain would be within the bounds of their permission. As Mr. Kesner and Dr. Fish were preparing to initiate a search, the boys returned to the condo at 9 pm. Fortunately, there were no police in pursuit of the group and they had items to show they did shop for souvenirs and not young ladies.

Colin Starner decided to try snowboarding without a board and lost his footing and slid into a tree with one foot on each side of the tree. We won't discuss his injury in the interest of good taste.  His voice has changed, however.

Cody made the infamous exclamation "NOT ENOUGH SPEED!!" as Nick approached a "rail" on his snowboard. Rail responded with an increase in speed and the "yard sale" that was Nick and his equipment afterwards was the result.

Our final meal, was spaghetti and the scouts and scouters all thank Tim Dillman for being the "chef extraordinaire" during our trip. He has stepped into Lyndall Brenton's big shoes and he was a lifesaver to hungry scouts and scouters each day.

The return trip home was a little longer than anticipated because of a little "issue" on I-70 as shown by these photos.




No, one of the scouts was not driving the truck carrying this backhoe.

If this reporter exaggerated on any of the above, chalk it up to the altitude.

More photos will follow once the boy's film has been developed.

Scouts should be working hard to achieve Life rank so they can participate in the fun of this trip next year... (if Mr. Kesner and Mr. Goertz can handle another one). Maybe we can have Tarik and Cody lead the troop on the next trip.

Oh... I should mention, except for Mr. Kesner's pride, there were NO injuries.